Location sensing and response for mobile messaging

ABSTRACT

Businesses have long appreciated the advantages of anticipating potential customers&#39; needs. Directing marketing activities towards non-customers, persons not having such a need, wastes resources of the business and may damage a business&#39; reputation. By providing a location-based analysis of a user&#39;s activities, such as by an opt-in application for a mobile device carried by the user, subject matter relevant and timely information on goods and/or services of the business may be provided to the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/952,641, filed on Mar. 13, 2014, and is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is generally directed toward communications andmore particularly toward mobile communications.

BACKGROUND

Mobile messaging applications, such as WeChat and WhatsApp, areincreasingly prevalent on mobile devices around the world. Theseapplications are popular as they allow users to avoid tolls and otherservice provider fees by using Wi-Fi and Internet data plans. Themessage exchange services provided by these applications aremulti-modal, and users can communicate via text chat, images, email,voice, and video. Groups can be used to share content to many users atonce, regardless of the mobile carrier and/or operating system of theplatform.

Contact centers have a strong concept that focuses on customer service,regardless of the channels of communication utilized to communicate withcustomers (e.g., voice, video, chat, email, co-browse, social media,etc.).

SUMMARY

It is with respect to the above issues and other problems that theembodiments presented herein were contemplated to advance the state ofthe art. Location-based advertising of the prior art may be replaced, inwhole or in part, by the embodiments provided herein whereby a marketingaction is selected in accord with a meaning behind a relationshipderived from at least two location datum. The meaning, or determinedrelationship, of the plurality of location datum may provide moremeaningful information of the user's actions and enable moreuser-relevant marketing decisions. An additional location datum may beutilized to modify the marketing action when the additional locationdatum is not in agreement with the other location datum for a determinedcontext.

Using real-time and/or historic location sensing in conjunction withmobile messaging and other historical activity monitoring to determinethe location and behavior of a person of interest pertaining to aparticular business or service associated with the location. Theacquired information is then used for predictive outreach activities andto provide a more detailed context when tied with Customer RelationshipManagement (CRM) data during inbound and outbound customer interactions.

In one embodiment, a need of a user is anticipating from activity notdirectly targeted at or by a company providing a solution to theanticipated need. Messaging applications have the ability to connectusers to companies in a private social network. A more directrelationship with the company enables services that would not bepossible or desirable in a public setting. Location is a connectivitymodality for communicating context sensitive information and foroptimization of interactions. With proper incentive (e.g., deals, easeof use, efficient connectivity, etc.) users may opt-in to locationtracking through the messaging applications.

A user's location history may be combined with information about thespecific locations visited as they relate to the company. The resultinganalysis can determine if the user is visiting competitors, engaging inactivities that may warrant a service from the company, and activitiesthat may complement previous purchases. The results may be used duringan inquiry to provide help via the mobile messaging application, inboundfrom standard contact center channels, and as part of outbound campaignsbased on this information and customer context through CRM data.

In one embodiment, utilizing airline travel as an example, a system isprovided that performs:

1. User opts-in to location tracking as part of a link through a mobilemessaging application (e.g., connecting to an airline to enable theoption for additional location-based services on the user's deviceand/or other devices).

2. When the user contacts the airline and/or exchanges information withthe company via any channel, location information is scanned andanalyzed for locations of interest. This may also occur on aperiodic/continuous basis depending on the tracking options set.

3. Other locations of interest may be determined through public socialsources (check-ins, references, mentions, etc.).

4. In another embodiment, non-mobile messaging feature. This would betied to customers who opt-in for deals, discounts, and notifications.

5. The location data is analyzed to identify users engaging inactivities involving context-based locations. The analysis can group andclassify the activities for use in customer interactions and predict thepotential for future customer engagement.

6. Based on the analysis, the results can be leveraged for outboundactivities, for CRM context storage to be used upon next customercontact, or other notifications of interest. Should the customer contactthe company, or contact center operating on behalf of the company, thereason for the contact may be supplemented by the analysis results.

For example, if a person is located at a realtor's office, then travelsaround neighborhoods (stopping for 30 minutes at several locations),credit card companies might be interested in following the person(especially if they are existing customers) to have context of thesituation before the actual service from a mortgage company or bank isoffered or to give location context sensitive offers. Offers mightinclude free checking at the bank in the neighborhood, availableinterest rate on a line of credit for remodeling, and the like.

In another example, a car dealership may use the invention to monitorsurrounding non-dealer service centers. People who visit the alternatecenters and post either their location, service center name, or otheridentifying information linking them to a visit to the place. The dealermay also monitor those customers who have purchased a vehicle throughtheir social media accounts obtained much like phone, address, email.With this monitoring the dealer may receive notifications when events ofinterest occur, such as when automobile service is obtained. Theseevents may trigger deal mailers, targeted email offers, or other formsof contact. The information also gives a customer context view when thecustomer contacts the dealer service center. For instance, if thecustomer brings in a car for service to the dealer because the otherservice center failed to solve a problem. The information monitoredprovides a rich addition to the CRM data kept on specific customers andthe surrounding customer base.

In one embodiment, a system is disclosed comprising: a server comprisingat least one processor; a communication interface logically connectingthe server to a network; and wherein the server is configured toperform: receiving a first and second location datum of a portabledevice associated with a user, the first and second location datumhaving at least dissimilar times; determining a context from the firstlocation datum; determining a relationship between the second locationdatum and the context; and assigning the user to a marketing activityselected in accord with the relationship.

In another embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: accessing acontext comprising a commerce function; receiving a first and secondlocation datum of a portable device associated with a user, the firstand second location datum having at least dissimilar times; determininga context from a first location datum; determining a correlation betweenthe context and the second location datum and, based on the level ofcorrelation, classifying the second location datum within one of adirect tier, a predictive tier, and a generic tier; analyzing, thesecond location datum classified as the predictive tier to determine amarketability correlation for the commerce function; and upondetermining the marketability correlation is above a previously definedthreshold, assigning the user with a marketing activity for the commercefunction.

In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium isdisclosed with instructions thereon that when read by a computer causethe computer to perform: accessing a context comprising a commercefunction; receiving a first and second location datum of a portabledevice associated with a user; determining a context from the firstlocation datum; determining a correlation between the context and thesecond location datum and, based on the level of correlation,classifying the second location datum within one of a direct tier, apredictive tier, and a generic tier; analyzing, the second locationdatum classified as the predictive tier to determine a marketabilitycorrelation for the commerce function; and upon determining themarketability correlation is above a previously defined threshold,assigning the user to a marketing activity for the commerce function.

The term “user” and “customer” both refer to the same individual withrespect to a given embodiment or example provided herein. “User” is usedto identify the owner, operator, holder, carrier, etc. of a portabledevice (e.g., smart phone, tablet, portable computer, wearable device,etc.) or the individual performing operations on or with a portabledevice. “Customer” is used to identify the individual within their roleas a prospective or actual customer of a business enterprise. Both“user” and “customer” may refer to a plurality of individuals whenfunctioning as a single entity (e.g., a couple shopping for a new car)even though only one may be a “user” of a portable device at any onetime.

The phrases “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C,” “at leastone of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. Assuch, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can beused interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms“comprising,” “including,” and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The term “automatic” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers toany process or operation done without material human input when theprocess or operation is performed. However, a process or operation canbe automatic, even though performance of the process or operation usesmaterial or immaterial human input, if the input is received beforeperformance of the process or operation. Human input is deemed to bematerial if such input influences how the process or operation will beperformed. Human input that consents to the performance of the processor operation is not deemed to be “material.”

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to anytangible storage that participates in providing instructions to aprocessor for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, includingbut not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmissionmedia. Non-volatile media includes, for example, NVRAM, or magnetic oroptical disks. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as mainmemory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, afloppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any othermagnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, a CD-ROM, any other opticalmedium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patternsof holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, a solid state mediumlike a memory card, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any othermedium from which a computer can read. When the computer-readable mediais configured as a database, it is to be understood that the databasemay be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical,object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly, the disclosure isconsidered to include a tangible storage medium and prior art-recognizedequivalents and successor media, in which the software implementationsof the present disclosure are stored.

The terms “determine,” “calculate,” and “compute,” and variationsthereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any typeof methodology, process, mathematical operation or technique.

The term “module” as used herein refers to any known or later developedhardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, orcombination of hardware and software that is capable of performing thefunctionality associated with that element. Also, while the disclosureis described in terms of exemplary embodiments, it should be appreciatedthat other aspects of the disclosure can be separately claimed.

The term “location datum” as used herein refers to an element of datadescribing a location and may further include an associated time datum.Location datum may include absolute location on Earth (e.g., latitude,longitude, and/or altitude), a vector attribute (e.g., speed, directionof travel), previous point visited, next point visited, speed arriving,speed departing, last location prior to unavailable location data, firstlocation following unavailable location data, etc., location relative toanother location (e.g., distance, vertical distance, direction, etc.),and descriptor of a proximate activity, event, person, or business.

The term “location data” as used herein refers to two or more locationdatum.

The term “context” as used herein refers to a meaning or circumstanceassociated with a location datum or data and/or the strength of thelocation datum or data to the meaning or circumstance.

The term “time datum” and similar words defining a temporal element, asused herein, may refer an absolute temporal description (e.g., time ofday, day of week, day of month, day of year, etc.), a relative temporaldescription (e.g., holiday, weekday, weekend, birthday, anniversary,etc.), and/or timing description (e.g., duration, distance in terms oftime, etc.).

The term “time data” as used herein refers to two or more time datum.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is described in conjunction with the appendedfigures:

FIG. 1 depicts a communication system in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts a threshold diagram in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 depicts a first diagram in accordance with at least someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts a second diagram in accordance with at least someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts a system in accordance with at least some embodiments ofthe present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 depicts a process in accordance with at least some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The ensuing description provides embodiments only, and is not intendedto limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims.Rather, the ensuing description will provide those with ordinary skillin the art with an enabling description for implementing theembodiments. It being understood that various changes may be made in thefunction and arrangement of elements without departing from the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

Any reference in the description comprising an element number, without asubelement identifier when a subelement identifiers exist in thefigures, when used in the plural is intended to reference any two ormore elements with a like element number. When such a reference is madein the singular form, it is intended to reference one of the elementswith the like element number without limitation to a specific one of theelements. Any explicit usage herein to the contrary or providing furtherqualification or identification shall take precedence.

The exemplary systems and methods of this disclosure will also bedescribed in relation to analysis software, modules, and associatedanalysis hardware. However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presentdisclosure, the following description omits well-known structures,components and devices that may be shown in block diagram form, and arewell known, or are otherwise summarized.

For purposes of explanation, numerous details are set forth in order toprovide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It should beappreciated, however, that the present disclosure may be practiced in avariety of ways beyond the specific details set forth herein.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative communication system 100 in accordance withat least some embodiments of the present disclosure. The communicationsystem 100 may be a distributed system and, in some embodiments,comprises a communication network 104 connecting one or morecommunication devices 108 to a work assignment mechanism 116, which maybe owned and operated by an enterprise administering a contact center inwhich a plurality of resources 112 are distributed to handle incomingwork items (in the form of contacts) from customer communication devices108. Additionally, social media website 130 and/or other external datasources 134 may be utilized to provide one means for a resource 112 toreceive and/or retrieve contacts and connect to a customer of a contactcenter. Other external data sources 134 may include data sources, suchas service bureaus, third-party data providers (e.g., credit agencies,public and/or private records, etc.). Customers may utilize theirrespective customer communication device 108 to send/receivecommunications utilizing social media website 130.

In accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure,the communication network 104 may comprise any type of knowncommunication medium or collection of communication media and may useany type of protocols to transport messages between endpoints. Thecommunication network 104 may include wired and/or wirelesscommunication technologies. The Internet is an example of thecommunication network 104 that constitutes and Internet Protocol (IP)network consisting of many computers, computing networks, and othercommunication devices located all over the world, which are connectedthrough many telephone systems and other means. Other examples of thecommunication network 104 include, without limitation, a standard PlainOld Telephone System (POTS), an Integrated Services Digital Network(ISDN), the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a Local AreaNetwork (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Session Initiation Protocol(SIP) network, a Voice over IP (VoIP) network, a cellular network, andany other type of packet-switched or circuit-switched network known inthe art. In addition, it can be appreciated that the communicationnetwork 104 need not be limited to any one network type, and instead maybe comprised of a number of different networks and/or network types. Asone example, embodiments of the present disclosure may be utilized toincrease the efficiency of a grid-based contact center. Examples of agrid-based contact center are more fully described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/469,523 to Steiner, the entire contents of whichare hereby incorporated herein by reference. Moreover, the communicationnetwork 104 may comprise a number of different communication media, suchas coaxial cable, copper cable/wire, fiber-optic cable, antennas fortransmitting/receiving wireless messages, and combinations thereof.

The communication devices 108 may correspond to customer communicationdevices. In accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentdisclosure, a customer may utilize their communication device 108 toinitiate a work item, which is generally a request for a processingresource 112. Illustrative work items include, but are not limited to, acontact directed toward and received at a contact center, a web pagerequest directed toward and received at a server farm (e.g., collectionof servers), a media request, an application request (e.g., a requestfor application resources location on a remote application server, suchas a SIP application server), and the like. The work item may be in theform of a message or collection of messages transmitted over thecommunication network 104. For example, the work item may be transmittedas a telephone call, a packet or collection of packets (e.g., IP packetstransmitted over an IP network), an email message, an Instant Message,an SMS message, a fax, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments,the communication may not necessarily be directed at the work assignmentmechanism 116, but rather may be on some other server in thecommunication network 104 where it is harvested by the work assignmentmechanism 116, which generates a work item for the harvestedcommunication, such as social media server 130. An example of such aharvested communication includes a social media communication that isharvested by the work assignment mechanism 116 from a social medianetwork or server. Exemplary architectures for harvesting social mediacommunications and generating work items based thereon are described inU.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/784,369, 12/706,942, and12/707,277, filed Mar. 20, 1010, Feb. 17, 2010, and Feb. 17, 2010,respectively, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

The format of the work item may depend upon the capabilities of thecommunication device 108 and the format of the communication. Inparticular, work items are logical representations within a contactcenter of work to be performed in connection with servicing acommunication received at the contact center (and more specifically thework assignment mechanism 116). The communication may be received andmaintained at the work assignment mechanism 116, a switch or serverconnected to the work assignment mechanism 116, or the like, until aresource 112 is assigned to the work item representing thatcommunication at which point the work assignment mechanism 116 passesthe work item to a routing engine 132 to connect the communicationdevice 108, which initiated the communication with the assigned resource112.

Although the routing engine 132 is depicted as being separate from thework assignment mechanism 116, the routing engine 132 may beincorporated into the work assignment mechanism 116 or its functionalitymay be executed by the work assignment engine 120.

In accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure,the communication devices 108 may comprise any type of knowncommunication equipment or collection of communication equipment.Examples of a suitable communication device 108 include, but are notlimited to, a personal computer, laptop, Personal Digital Assistant(PDA), cellular phone, smart phone, telephone, or combinations thereof.In general each communication device 108 may be adapted to supportvideo, audio, text, and/or data communications with other communicationdevices 108 as well as the processing resources 112. The type of mediumused by the communication device 108 to communicate with othercommunication devices 108 or processing resources 112 may depend uponthe communication applications available on the communication device108.

In accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure,the work item is sent toward a collection of processing resources 112via the combined efforts of the work assignment mechanism 116 androuting engine 132. The resources 112 can either be completely automatedresources (e.g., Interactive Voice Response (IVR) units, processors,servers, or the like), human resources utilizing communication devices(e.g., human agents utilizing a computer, telephone, laptop, etc.), orany other resource known to be used in contact centers.

As discussed above, the work assignment mechanism 116 and resources 112may be owned and operated by a common entity in a contact center format.In some embodiments, the work assignment mechanism 116 may beadministered by multiple enterprises, each of which has its owndedicated resources 112 connected to the work assignment mechanism 116.

In some embodiments, the work assignment mechanism 116 comprises a workassignment engine 120, which enables the work assignment mechanism 116to make intelligent routing decisions for work items. In someembodiments, the work assignment engine 120 is configured to administerand make work assignment decisions in a queueless contact center, as isdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/882,950, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. In otherembodiments, the work assignment engine 120 may be configured to executework assignment decisions in a traditional queue-based (or skill-based)contact center.

The work assignment engine 120 and its various components may reside inthe work assignment mechanism 116 or in a number of different servers orprocessing devices. In some embodiments, cloud-based computingarchitectures can be employed whereby one or more components of the workassignment mechanism 116 are made available in a cloud or network suchthat they can be shared resources among a plurality of different users.Work assignment mechanism 116 may access customer database 118, such asto retrieve records, profiles, purchase history, previous work items,and/or other aspects of a customer known to the contact center. Customerdatabase 118 may be updated in response to a work item and/or input fromresource 112 processing the work item.

In one embodiment, a message is generated by customer communicationdevice 108 and received, via communication network 104, at workassignment mechanism 116. The message received by a contact center, suchas at the work assignment mechanism 116, is generally, and herein,referred to as a “contact.” Routing engine 132 routes the contact to atleast one of resources 112 for processing.

FIG. 2 shows threshold diagram 200 in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Threshold diagram 200 illustrates one threshold tierconfiguration, such as for the context of new car purchases. Variousevents associated with a location datum for a user, received via theuser's portable device, may be selected or alternatively excluded as apredictor of a behavior associated with a commercial function. Forexample, it may be determined that individuals who purchase a new careat at a particular restaurant as compared to individuals who do notpurchase a new car. Such may be the case when one or more cardealerships are located in an area served by few or only one particularrestaurant or restaurants conducive to automobile shoppers (e.g., quiet,casual, spacious tables, WiFi access, etc.).

Certain advantages may be realized by identifying individuals or groupsof individuals who are ripe for performing a particular act associatedwith the context. The act may be a commercial function, such aspurchasing an item or service associated with the context. As an option,the context may be further refined to be specific to a particularclient, such as a particular car dealership or airline as opposed to anycar dealership or any air carrier. As a further option, the context maybe even further limited to a particular product (e.g., a particulardestination served by a particular airline, a specific model ofautomobile, etc.). Therefore, while an individual may be contemplatingthe purchase of a new car there is both an opportunity to enhance thesales process with that particular buyer for a particular car and,alternatively, to lose that potential sale to a competitor.

Identifying individuals who have no need for a particular context actprovides a means to preserve marketing resources for other activities.For example, in the majority of instances, an individual who may bepurchasing a new car will likely be a licensed driver. However, noteveryone who is a licensed driver is presently in the market for a newcar. On the other end of the spectrum are individuals who have a directassociation with the commercial function (e.g., taking a trip, buying anew car, etc.) Resources are likely wasted when providing such potentialor actual customers with generic information if they have already madecontact with the salesperson who can provide the same information aswell as address specific inquiries the customer may have. Providingmarketing literature in such circumstances will likely prove inefficientand wasteful and in some situations, may even irritate a potentialcustomer.

Threshold diagram 200 illustrates several events falling into one ofthree tiers. In other embodiments, more than three tiers may be utilizedto better refine the association of a location datum to a context.Direct tier 202 comprises events directly associated with the context.For example, a customer is shopping for a new car within a dealershipevent 208 that is within direct tier 202. Event 210 represents acustomer shopping for a new car, but not within the dealership or at thedealership but outside of the dealership's business hours. Event 204 isa need for a new car for the user and is also within predictive tier204. Predictive tier 204 comprises events that indicate, but are notdirectly tied to, the context. Generic tier 206 comprises events thathave no more predictive value then other behaviors associated with aparticular population associated with the context, such as being alicensed driver event 214.

The tiers of threshold diagram 200 are now considered in more detail. Inone embodiment, direct tier 202 comprises events that are predicates toa commercial function for a context, such as entering an automobiledealership predicates the purchase of a new car, entering a bank toapply for a mortgage, queuing for service at a repair shop, etc.Customers performing actions within direct tier 202 no longer have aneed to be presented with marketing material as they have already madethe decision to engage in a particular commercial function (e.g., buy acar, apply for a mortgage, repair a computer, etc.) for a context (e.g.,automobile purchasing, home financing, electronic repair services,etc.). Therefore, events falling within direct tier 202 are excludedfrom further processing as described herein and the customer associatedwith events within direct tier 202 are processed via other means (e.g.,sales personnel interaction, etc.).

In another embodiment, generic tier 206 comprises events with a very lowcorrelation to the act within the context. As previously referenced, notall licensed drivers are presently in the market for a new car, not allindividuals who pass by a bank are shopping for home financing, etc.Therefore, a pool of potential customers identified with events, such asbeing licensed driver event 214 are excluded from further processing.Potential customers having events solely within the generic tier 206alone may still be subject to other forms of marketing intending to seedinterest, such as by radio, television, print media, and other forms ofmass marketing.

In another embodiment, a combination of two or more events or actsprovides a combination act that may be placed into one of direct tier202, predictive tier 204, or generic tier 206. For example, a licenseddriver who has recently moved or changed jobs may be an indication thatthe individual may be in need of a new car, such as when they are movingout of their parents' home for the first time or changing to a job thatrequires more or less commuting. Therefore the combination of licenseddriver and recent relocation may be processed as a single event withinpredictive tier 204 whereas individually, each forms a generic event andis placed in generic tier 206.

It should be appreciated that the specific events or acts and theirplacement within one of generic tier 206 predictive tier 204 or directtier 202 are variously embodied. Analysis of large volumes of data mayprovide correlations that may or may not be otherwise apparent inleading to the placement within their appropriate tier.

Determining the acts or events for placement within one of tiers 202,204, 206 are now considered. In one embodiment, a first location datumis analyzed for a user of a portable device operable to sense locationand other location datum (e.g., speed, direction of travel, time inmotion, time not in motion, etc.). For example, having a need for a newcar event 212 may be determined by a first location datum indicating auser has stopped to have their current car serviced or to purchase itemsat an auto parts store. A more complete discussion of location datum andthe analysis and processing thereof is provided with respect to theembodiments that follow.

FIG. 3 shows diagram 300 in accordance with at least some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. Diagram 300 illustrates a map view of aparticular area. A user having a portable device with a location sensingand reporting application is tracked along first route 302. Route 302may represent a most direct path from the user's home to their place ofwork, if known, or estimated from a plurality of the user's trips duringparticular times and/or days, such as indicating workday travel at atime likely to indicate commuting to work. Route 302 may representgeneric tier 206 events as they are likely to predict a particularcommercial function for a context with a correlation no better than thecorrelation associated with the general population. Now, on at least oneoccasion, the user is tracked along second route 304, which includes astop at point 306. Point 306 may represent a first location datum, whichis then analyzed to determine the type of location specific businessesor other points of interest that are proximate to point 306.

Point 306 may be determined to be associated with one or morebusinesses, each of which may have its own context and cause thelocation datum to be analyzed differently. For example, point 306 may beproximate to a variety of businesses, such as a florist, dentist, realestate office, etc. In one embodiment, each context may be consideredand processed in parallel. In another embodiment, only a particularcontext is considered, such as one associated with the applicationreporting the location data associated with the user device.

For example, point 306 may be a florist. This first location datumprovides the means to determine a context. The context of a florist mayrange from narrow (e.g., flowers, plants, potting soil, etc.) to broad(e.g., gifts, holidays, decoration, commemorations, etc.). A secondlocation datum may be derived from a past event, such as the user'sprior visit nearly on the same date in a prior year, or a future event,such as having dinner at an upscale restaurant. The relationship fromthe first and second location datum may then be determined, such as, ananniversary or birthday for a spouse or significant other.

In the context of jewelry sales, the user's first location datum atpoint 306 may indicate a gift purchase for a female. A second locationdatum, such as a prior visit to another retailer selling itemscomprising gift items traditionally suitable for a female or otherdate-specific activity (e.g., eating at a particular restaurant) mayrepresent location datum determined to be within predictive tier 204 forthe commercial function of purchasing a jewelry item. A marketingfunction may cause a message to be presented to the user device or viaother means to inform the user of special offers or other incentives tomake a jewelry purchase, such as may be associated with a birthday oranniversary gift.

In the context of automobile sales, such may be indicated by a firstlocation datum associated with a stop at point 306, when such a point isproximate to an auto parts store or repair shop. A second location datummay be within the predictive tier and indicate the user is having theircurrent vehicle serviced, looking at new cars, or otherwise going tolocations predictive of a new car shopper. The user may then beassociated with marketing activity, such as an invitation to test drivea new car. Conversely, the second location datum may be generic, such aswhen subsequent location datum is associated with non-automobilelocations. For example, the first location datum may have occurredduring the user's visit to an auto parts store while purchasing areplacement light bulb, a road map, or other item. As the secondlocation datum was generic, in the context of new automobile sales, theuser is likely not in the market for a new car.

In another embodiment, route 304 provides additional location datum. Forexample, route 304 may proceed along a known or suspected bus route. Ifthe additional location datum indicates stopping at locations believedor known to be bus stops, the additional location datum may indicate theuser is traveling by bus.

Accordingly, a third or more location datum (e.g., traveling on SecondAvenue, stopping for thirty seconds at North and Second Ave, travellingat bus-like speed, etc.) may be analyzed to determine the user istraveling by bus and, upon further analysis, which may include the stopat point 306, determine that the user has left their car for extensiveservicing and is taking the bus to work. Accordingly, the plurality oflocation datum may indicate a predictive tier 204, such as having a needfor a new car event 212.

A modified marketing action may be identified for presentation to theuser, such as the user's portable device. For example, the user mayreceive an offer for a test drive and then have the offer modified, suchas to an extended test drive, such as the use of a new car for severaldays. Such an offer may be particularly relevant to a driver (e.g., theuser) who is now taking the bus.

In another embodiment, location datum associated with both route 302 androute 304 may be determined to be events within the generic tier 206,such as within the context of jewelry sales. Stopping at a floristassociated with point 306 may be a first location datum associated witha commerce function of purchasing a gift within the jewelry context. Inanother embodiment, also within the jewelry context, stopping at point306 and then following second location datum of traveling along route304, may be either additive or subtractive in terms of the respectivetier. For example, stopping at a florist and then taking the bus may bea combination of events that indicates the user is performing a genericactivity (e.g., activity non-predictive within the jewelry context) andtherefore such an act is determined to be within generic tier 206. Thismay be further determined as generic if location datum associated withpoint 306 does not have a strong correlation to a florist, such as whenother businesses are more likely being visited by the user. For example,the user may have visited a real estate agent and travelled a differentroute to visit homes for sale. Such location data may be within thecontext of other activities (e.g., home purchasing, moving, mortgages,etc.) but generic within the context of jewelry sales.

FIG. 4 shows diagram 400 in accordance with at least some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. In one embodiment, diagram 400 illustratesseveral location datum, otherwise known as location data, which may thenbe analyzed to determine a context and appropriateness for particularmarketing activity associated with a commercial function within thecontext. Points 402 may comprise a variety of homogeneous orheterogeneous businesses that a user, as detected utilizing theirrespective portable device, has visited. The location datum associatedwith the visits at points 402 may include time datum or data.

In one embodiment, the context of automobile sales may be determinedfrom one of a location datum from visiting one of points 402, whenpoints 402 are associated with cars, car services, or other car-centricbusinesses and/or activities. For example point 402A may be a partsstore, point 402B may be a carwash, point 402C and points 402D may bemultipurpose locations, such as big-box retailers, office complexes,etc. The location datum associated with point 402A (e.g., an auto partsstore) may be particularly relevant as individuals who are havingdifficulties with their current automobile may be or become interestedin purchasing a replacement. A second location datum associated withpoint 402A, or other locations associated with auto parts, may indicatethat the user frequents such location in a manner more indicative of anautomobile hobbyist and therefore may not be interested in replacingtheir current automobile. A second location datum associated with ashort visit to point 402A may indicate the user is making a routinepurchase and does not require extensive interaction with the parts storeor the staff therein. For example, a user purchasing a map may only takea few minutes, whereas a user purchasing an alternator, starter, headgaskets, or other highly specific part will likely require more time toallow the staff to attend the user and retrieve or order the correctitem.

In another embodiment, points 402 may be associated with the purchase ofnew cars, such as when each of points 402 is a dealership of variousautomobile brands. If the user location datum indicates visits to points402 and second location datum indicates times when the dealerships areclosed, then a context of automobile purchase may be determined and arelationship (e.g., information gathering) may be determined from secondand/or secondary location datum associated with the other points 402.Such a relationship may then be determined to be within the predictivetier 204. In contrast, if the user spends a significant amount of timeat one or all of points 402A through points 402D, during business hoursfor the dealerships, the user may be actively engaged in negotiationswith salespeople whereby such location datum indicates a direct tier 202activity. In yet another example a user who visits points 402frequently, such as several times a month for many months may providelocation datum associated with an activity not indicative of anautomobile purchaser and therefore such location datum falls withingeneric tier 206.

FIG. 5 shows system 500 in accordance with at least some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. In one embodiment, user device 108 comprises alocation sensing module, such as a GPS receiver, proximity-basedreceiver (e.g. location proximate to a WiFi signal having a knownlocation and/or proximity, audio signal, infrared, etc.),triangulation-based receiver (e.g. LORAN, etc.), and/or other locationsensing component. User device 108 may receive location informationentirely or in part from signals, such as from satellite 506, cellulartower 508, etc. It should be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in theart that data processing abilities of portable devices, such as portabledevice 108, continue to improve and may possess the ability to performall computational processes of certain embodiments provided herein.However as a design option and/or performance requirement, reliance onserver 502 may provide all or some of the computational operations. Userdevice 108 communicates with server 502 via network 104. In oneembodiment, specific location information is provided by user device 108to server 502 where whereby server 502 may access database 504 toretrieve data associated with determining correlation between a contextand a location datum and/or between location datum.

For example, user device 108 may provide a first location datumcomprising the latitude and longitude of the user device as well assecond location datum different from the first location datum (e.g.,speed and/or direction of travel time at a location, etc.). Server 502accesses database 504 to determine specific commercial enterprises atthose coordinates or proximate, within a threshold distance, from thosecoordinates. Server 502, determines at least one context for the firstlocation datum and analyzes the second location datum to determining theclassification as to whether the location datum falls within direct tier202, predictive tier 204, or generic tier 206 for the at least onecontext. Server 502, or other processing unit, then determines whether amarketability correlation exists based upon the location datum. Thedetermination may be done in real-time and provide a message to bedisplayed upon user device 108 and/or at a later time, which may involvemessages presented on user device 108, another device associated withthe user, or other marketing means (e.g., direct mail, outbound call,modified message presented to an in-bound call, social media message,etc.).

FIG. 6 shows process 600 in accordance with at least some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. In one embodiment, process 600 starts with step601 accessing a first location datum. Step 602 then determines a contextfrom the first location datum. Next step 604 receives a second locationdatum. The second location datum may be a location coordinate, speed,direction, duration of visit, or other location attribute. Optionally,step 606 receives a plurality of secondary location datum (locationdata). Processing then continues to step 608 to determine a correlationbetween the context and the second location datum received in step 602or the plurality of secondary location datum received in step 606.Processing continues to step 610 whereby the correlation is classifiedas either a member of the generic tier 206, predictive tier 204, ordirect tier 202.

If classification step 610 determines the correlation indicates a memberof generic tier 206, process 600 ends. If classification step 610determines the correlation is a member of the direct tier 202 processingmay continue or, as discussed in more detail below, additionalprocessing may be performed.

If classification step 610 determines the correlation indicates a memberof predictive tier 204, processing continues to step 618. Step 618determines a marketability correlation for the commerce function. In oneembodiment the commerce function may be previously determined, such asthe selling of automobiles to users having of predictive interest inpurchasing an automobile. In another embodiment, the commerce functionis determined based upon other factors, such as the second locationdatum. For example, the second location datum may indicate the user'spresence at a car dealership during closed hours, such as when just“killing time” or shopping without wishing to interact with a salesperson. Therefore, one marketability correlation may comprise anenticement to return to the dealership during business hours. Step 618may determine a single marketability correlation or a plurality.

Step 620 determines if the marketability correlation is above apreviously determined threshold. For example, a threshold may be setthat requires a user to visit two dealerships (e.g., a first and secondor a second and third location datum) during times when both dealershipsare closed before a marketable response is initiated. In anotherexample, a plurality of second location datum is provided with acorrelation factor, such as visiting a car dealership once duringoff-hours is a 0.1, visiting two car dealerships during the same week,is a 0.3, etc. A user's action, as determined by second location datum,is then evaluated to determine a score and, if above the thresholdamount, processing continues to step 622, otherwise processing mayterminate. As can be appreciated, the specific threshold may bedetermined as a matter of design choice.

Optionally, direct tier 202 may be processed, such as one source of athird location datum. For example, optional step 624 may analyze directtier 202 to determine if a modification to the marketing activitydetermined in step 622 is justified and, if so, processing continues tostep 626. For example, visiting an automobile dealership, but not makinga purchase, may normally be considered a direct tier 202 activity whenperformed during normal business hours for the dealership. However, ifno purchase is made and the user provided no contact information to thedealership, step 624 may determine that the user should be assigned to amodified marketing activity of step 626, such as to provide the userwith an incentive to return to the dealership.

As a further option, steps 628 and 630 may be performed. Step 628 mayanalyze generic tier 628, such as a source of third location datum. Step630 may then modify a marketing activity, such as one determined by step622. For example, a first and second location datum (e.g., visiting cardealerships) may lead to a marketing activity (e.g., attempt to get theuser to visit Alpha Motors). However, step 628 may reveal the user hasother business with the car dealerships (e.g., installing officeequipment, etc.). Therefore, the marketing activity may be modified oreven cancelled by step 630. In another embodiment, the generic activityanalyzed by step 628 (e.g., taking the bus) may cause step 630 to modifya marketing activity of step 622 (e.g., entice the user to take a testdrive) to reflect the lack of use of their current automobile, such asenticement to take an extended multi-day test drive.

In the foregoing description, for the purposes of illustration, methodswere described in a particular order. It should be appreciated that inalternate embodiments, the methods may be performed in a different orderthan that described. It should also be appreciated that the methodsdescribed above may be performed by hardware components or may beembodied in sequences of machine-executable instructions, which may beused to cause a machine, such as a general-purpose or special-purposeprocessor (GPU or CPU) or logic circuits programmed with theinstructions to perform the methods (FPGA). These machine-executableinstructions may be stored on one or more machine readable mediums, suchas CD-ROMs or other type of optical disks, floppy diskettes, ROMs, RAMs,EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other typesof machine-readable mediums suitable for storing electronicinstructions. Alternatively, the methods may be performed by acombination of hardware and software.

Specific details were given in the description to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practicedwithout these specific details. For example, circuits may be shown inblock diagrams in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessarydetail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms,structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail inorder to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

Also, it is noted that the embodiments were described as a process,which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, astructure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describethe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can beperformed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of theoperations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when itsoperations are completed, but could have additional steps not includedin the figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, aprocedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process correspondsto a function, its termination corresponds to a return of the functionto the calling function or the main function.

Furthermore, embodiments may be implemented by hardware, software,firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or anycombination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middlewareor microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessarytasks may be stored in a machine readable medium, such as storagemedium. A processor(s) may perform the necessary tasks. A code segmentmay represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, aroutine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or anycombination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. Acode segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardwarecircuit by passing and/or receiving information, data, arguments,parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters,data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitablemeans including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, networktransmission, etc.

While illustrative embodiments of the disclosure have been described indetail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may beotherwise variously embodied and employed, and that the appended claimsare intended to be construed to include such variations, except aslimited by the prior art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a server comprising atleast one processor; a communication interface logically connecting theserver to a network; and wherein the server is configured to perform:receiving a first and second location datum of a portable deviceassociated with a user, the first and second location datum having atleast dissimilar times; determining a context from the first locationdatum; determining a relationship between the second location datum andthe context; and assigning the user to a marketing activity selected inaccord with the relationship.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the userdevice further comprises an application operable to receive the firstand second location datum from the location sensing module and providethe location datum to the server.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein theapplication is specific to the context.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein the marketing activity is presented to a user via the userdevice.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first and secondlocation datum comprises at least one of a proximate activity, proximateevent, proximate type of structure, proximate type of business,proximate specific business, time, date, direction of travel, speed,starting point of travel, ending point of travel, and stops made betweena starting point of travel and an ending point of travel.
 6. The systemof claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to perform:receiving a third location datum, being different from the secondlocation datum, from the portable device; determining a correlationbetween the context and the third location datum and based on the levelof correlation classifying the third location datum within one of thedirect tier, the predictive tier, and the generic tier; analyzing, thethird location datum when classified as the predictive tier to determinea marketability correlation for the commerce function; and analyzing,the location data classified as the predictive tier to determine themarketability correlation for the commerce function.
 7. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the server is further configured to perform: analyzinga third location datum when classified as the indicative tier todetermine a modified marketability correlation for the commercefunction; and upon determining the modified marketability correlation isabove a previously defined threshold, assigning the user to a modifiedmarketing activity for the commerce function.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the server is further configured to perform: providing apre-selected location datum, selected from location data previouslyclassified as the predictive tier, to the user device; and analyzing thesecond location datum to determine whether the location datumsubstantially matches the pre-selected location datum.
 9. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the user device performs the step of analyzing thelocation datum.
 10. A method, comprising: accessing a context comprisinga commerce function; receiving a first and second location datum of aportable device associated with a user, the first and second locationdatum having at least dissimilar times; determining a context from afirst location datum; determining a correlation between the context andthe second location datum and, based on the level of correlation,classifying the second location datum within one of a direct tier, apredictive tier, and a generic tier; analyzing, the second locationdatum classified as the predictive tier to determine a marketabilitycorrelation for the commerce function; and upon determining themarketability correlation is above a previously defined threshold,assigning the user with a marketing activity for the commerce function.11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving a contact fromthe user to a contact center regarding a purpose; responding to the userto address the purpose; and presenting a marketing purpose selected inaccord with the marketing activity to the user.
 12. The method of claim10, further comprising, presenting content on the portable display inaccord with the marketing activity.
 13. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising: receiving a third location datum, being different from thesecond location datum, from the portable device; determining acorrelation between the context and the third location datum and basedon the level of correlation classifying the third location datum withinone of the direct tier, the predictive tier, and the generic tier; andanalyzing, the third location datum classified as the predictive tier todetermine a marketability correlation for the commerce function; andanalyzing, the location data classified as the predictive tier todetermine the marketability correlation for the commerce function. 14.The method of claim 10, further comprising: analyzing the third datumclassified as the indicative tier to determine a modified marketabilitycorrelation for the commerce function; and upon determining the modifiedmarketability correlation is above a previously defined threshold,assigning the user with a modified marketing activity for the commercefunction.
 15. The method of claim 10, further comprising: providing apre-selected location datum, selected from location data previouslyclassified as the predictive tier, to the user device; and analyzing thesecond location datum comprising determining whether the location datumsubstantially matches the pre-selected location datum.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the user device performs the step of analyzing thesecond location datum.
 17. A non-transitory computer readable mediumwith instructions thereon that when read by a computer cause thecomputer to perform: accessing a context comprising a commerce function;receiving a first and second location datum of a portable deviceassociated with a user; determining a context from the first locationdatum; determining a correlation between the context and the secondlocation datum and, based on the level of correlation, classifying thesecond location datum within one of a direct tier, a predictive tier,and a generic tier; analyzing, the second location datum classified asthe predictive tier to determine a marketability correlation for thecommerce function; and upon determining the marketability correlation isabove a previously defined threshold, assigning the user to a marketingactivity for the commerce function.
 18. The non-transitory medium ofclaim 17, further comprising, instructions to presenting content on theportable display in accord with the marketing activity.
 19. Thenon-transitory medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions toperform: receiving a third location data, different from the secondlocation datum, from the portable device associated with the user;determining a correlation between the context and the third locationdatum and, based on the level of correlation, classifying the thirdlocation datum within one of the direct tier, the predictive tier, andthe generic tier; and analyzing, the third location datum classified asthe predictive tier to determine a marketability correlation for thecommerce function; and analyzing, the third location datum classified aswith the predictive tier to determine the marketability correlation forthe commerce function.
 20. The non-transitory medium of claim 17,further comprising instructions to perform: providing a pre-selectedlocation datum, selected from location data previously classified as thepredictive tier, to the user device; and analyzing, by the user device,the second location datum comprising determining whether the secondlocation datum substantially matches the pre-selected location datum; inresponse to the step of analyzing determining the second location datumsubstantially matches the pre-selected location datum, causing the userdevice to present the marketing activity.